Living in the Philippines - Personal Dress Code for Foreigners
A Discussion about Dress codes for foreigners living in the Philippines
Hello everyone once again I want to write about something that kind of sticks in my mind, and that is dressing in the Philippines, and by doing so, I dont want any of you to get the impression that my dress is sloppy, far from it, of course it depends on the setting, if I am in the house, I probably where a pair of shorts, a t shirt and flip flops, if going out, long trousers and a Fred Perry shirt, if downtown nice trousers (pants) and a dress shirt.
But it became clear to me that travelling around town where I saw many of my co-foreigners that there standard of dress in some cases but not all, was actually quite apalling, in fact embarassing, in one case I saw a foreigner with a curtain or it looked like a curtain with a peice of string tied around his waist, he was unshaven, dishevelled, and downright scruffy, have any of you seen this ?
I went to SM Food market, I saw a foreigner with hair down his back as far as his backside again unshaven, walking around in a pair of dirty shorts, a t shirt with bohol in large letters on it, and a dirty pair of flip flops, again not a pretty sight.
I would also like to tell you about my trip to a first class hotel in Bacolod City called the L Fisher, some of you may know it, I wont tell you the nationality of the object of my story, that would be unfair, but let us say I could tell his nationality, I had taken out my wife and our caretaker for dinner, it was the international buffet and very reasonably priced, I saw this guy sat next to us, he was dressed in a black t shirt, with a crew neck which made it look more noticable, as it sat right under his chin, he had on a very shoddy looking pair of jog bottoms, he was unshaven, and to be honest with you all, I could not stop looking at him, he looked disgusting.
I felt for him, since he had no idea it seems that dressing up for dinner in the Philippines is part of the cultural lifestyle, one thing my wife always impresses on me, is to be aware of my dress sense in the Philippines, Bob has mentioned in the past about going downtown to Government offices etc, about not wearing shorts, I noted that tip along time ago, and have always made a mentle note not to do this.
My wife also told me something that kind of stopped me in my tracks when I met her, she told me that Filipinos think that foriegners smell, yes guys, apparently we all smell !
I laughed at it at the time, because I said to her, so millions of foreigners who visit the Philippines, they all smell right ? she laughed, well thats what we were told !
I mentioned the same thing recently to a Filipina in UK, she agreed and said, yes we always thought foreigners smell, hahaha, that they dont bath, and dont take a shower.
When I saw these foreigners in town over a period of 2-3 weeks its hardly suprising that Flipinos get this impression, since in truth, they look so scruffy and ungroomed, my wife always tells me before going downtown, honey put on this shirt, look good we are going out with Mr so and so, he is a Accountant, or he is this official or so and so.
Dress good sweetheart, the Filipinos will be looking at you, or put on this lotion or that lotion, smell nice…they will notice, sometimes its almost as though I might be tricked in to thinking all of a sudden I have forgotten my personal grooming routine.
What always makes me proud is when I see Filipinos especially the men, dress immacuately when in town, if they go out for meals with their family, you always see them turn up with the family, I have to say they are immaculately dressed, even if its Barong Tagalog, or other long dress dinner shirt, finely pressed trousers and immaculately clean shoes.
i think its very important that foreigners dress well when downtown or at social functions, whats your experience of this, and is their any agreement or a few laughs at what I have written about, I am sure it will invoke some experiences from you all.
Hi Pete,
thanks for an interesting tip. Actually I think dressing smartly when in another country makes perfect sense as in many ways it is like visiting someones else’s house, and unless the house we visit is of a very close friend, then in most cases when we visit we put on our best or at least tidy clothes. Only difference here is that we are visiting a very large house where many people live.
I like this blog as the writers here seem to have good standards that they discuss and obviously abide by and whichever country we live in we should all live by those acceptable standards.
Hi Richard, thank you for that comment, I think as foreigners its our duty to represent our country, certainly how we behave and how we dress reflects on our own peoples, if we misbehave or dress shoddily, can we be suprised when local people have that impression that we are scruffy and dont bath, as far as the standards of the blog go, yes I think its very fair to say the standards are excellent.
“Apocrine glands, which produce scents that we commonly refer to as
body odor, vary widely among the races. Asians have an extremely low
distribution of apocrines (Koreans are among the least odor-producing
people on Earth—50% of them have no apocrine glands at all). With
regard to other races, blacks have a slightly higher distribution of
apocrine glands than whites.”
I am a korean by the way
lol good article, I like to try and guess what country people are from when traveling, especially challenging guessing asians. One thing very noticable is shorts…1st time tourist, shorts with black socks…1st time tourist from europe ( they tend to wear black socks with shorts…americans and canadians wear white mostly) watch on left hand..he’s right handed..good to know if he boisturious…he’ll usually swing with his right first. Asians are fun, very hard to define which country , my filipina wife is much better at it ( naturally) they look for hair styles and clothing mostly. Korean women seem to be bigger breasted, and thier hair styles (men) all look the same. Hair dyed…my guess is always japanese…not always right…never the less it is a fun hobby…
Shorts and open sandals are unacceptable in many cultures, particularly in bigger towns and cities. In Quito, Ecuador, a store clerk may refuse to serve anyone not wearing regular shoes and long pants. A mini skirt and open-toed sandals would literally stop traffic and bring verbal comments. I saw a nice Ecuadorian man who spoke English explain this to a visiting lady who didn’t understand what the fuss was about.
In the coastal areas of most countries, shorts are fine everywhere except in nicer restaurants. I like to bring a few pairs of the long cargo pants with the zip-off legs. These make it easy to transition from a hike or walk on the beach to a lunch at a nicer restaurant.
I’ve never “lived” in another country for more than a month or two, so my experiences relate to traveling. I pack light because I move around a lot. If a shirt and pants aren’t dirty, I’ll wear them a few days and then inquire at the hotel desk about having my clothes cleaned (so I pack just a week’s worth of clothes, which for some would be about 4-5 days if putting on new outer clothes everyday is the norm). Eventually I noticed there were clothes I never wore. A guide I worked with recommended packing less and having clothes cleaned during the trip. I’ve always been impressed by how well my clothes come back cleaned and pressed when I take advantage of the services at the hotel or at a corner laundry – and even more impressed by the low cost!
I do pack one nice outfit: formal shirt, tie, and slacks and shoes. I sort of vacuum pack them in large zip lock bags so they don’t become damp in a humid climate. If they need to be pressed before a special event I can have the hotel or corner place press them for me. All my underwear is packed the same way (I bet others do this, too…it’s a great trick for traveling in the tropics). After a week in the Amazon it was great to leave all the dirty clothes behind and put on that one last set of clothes and underwear I’d kept in the zip-lock bags just for the return flight! My first trip to the upper Amazon was a college field course. I packed all the wet and muddy clothes in a rubber “dry bag” to wash at home – Bad idea!! Smelled like a dead animal and had become a black mass of mold.
Interesting info about the apocrine glands. I always thought odor depended on what people were eating – maybe it’s a combination of both. Shaving before a formal event should be a no brainer, but otherwise it depends on how thick and how fast the beard grows (for me that’s not very much and not very fast).
Stories are still being told in my wife’s hometown about Peace Corps volunteers staying there in the 1960s-1970s. Each, to a man, had dirty long hair, scruffy facial hair that couldn’t be recognized as a beard and/or mustache, raggedy clothes in the form of constantly worn T shirts, shorts, flip-flops, and a “personal aroma” about them that belied their “taking a bath once a month, whether they needed it or not!”
I’ve seen a couple of “official” pictures in the town hall wherein a Peace Corp volunteer was part of the group. The descriptions in the stories were matched by the photos - even the image in the photo looked like he smelled bad!
Good thing my wife makes sure I dress well and smell good whenever I’m outside of the house. I’ve never been mistaken as a Peace Corps volunteer.
For dress-up affairs (in the Philippines), I still prefer to see men in Barong Tagalog. I prefer the Barong over their western counterpart attire.
It ’s probably because it evokes in me a sense of history and tradition. I like to imagine how the Spanish colonial era might have been like in our country and how the then-emerging middle class Filipinos interacted in social gatherings with the upper crust Spaniards.
I read somewhere that the “ornate” Barong Tagalog began as a statement against the Spanish colonial rule. Where before it was just a plain shirt intended to be worn tucked out (a forced style from their Spanish rulers), the Filipinos started incorporating lavish embroidery designs on the Barong as an unspoken statement against the forced dress code which was used to show the class distinctions between the Spaniards and Filipinos.
Probably it is this sense of fighting for one’s rights to equal treatment that has earned the Barong a special place in my heart.
In the same token, even as a Filipino who pride in dressing up and looking impeccable for social gatherings, I tend to do it for my own comfort and personal style, rather than for impressing company. I’m not very class conscious which is probably why I so love America and the freedom it promotes where class lines are blurred and the only thing that matters is what one brings to the table in terms of one’s talents.
In my current situation/locale this is best demonstrated by the fact that CEOs, exec management, venture capitalists, the rank-and-file, are hard to distinguish. They all dress casually! Almost everyone wears jeans. Well, except if they have to go into some hard-driving meetings with Wall Street people, then the dress code might change a bit.
You could wear your pajamas to work and still feel not-so-out-of-place
And that, of course, is just a tad exaggerated but come visit Silicon Valley and boy, oh boy, Filipinos beware… You will be overdressed here.
Paul,
You make me laugh! But isn’t it that some Peace Corps volunteers are even sent there to teach hygiene & grooming? Or so I thought…
Well, anyway, most of the foreign nationals participating on this blog seem to be married to Filipinas so there, that means you will never look scruffy and never smell bad… according to Pete’s article anyway… After all, Filipino women carry a big stick
Just kidding and only slightly.
I remember an American friend telling me that after being invited to a Filipino party, he vowed never to marry a Filipino. When I asked him why, he said, “Do you think I would want to be emasculated? I watched those Filipino wives and they were even forcing their poor husbands to sing, whether he can sing or not. And the poor guys were just going along and I tell you, some of them could barely let their voice out, they’d be better off leading in silent prayers…”
That made me laugh so hard. He said he meant it as a compliment though to say “Filipino women know how to instill discipline in their mates.” Well, whether this is accurate is up for debate at another time.
Hi Angie -
Being forced to sing without being able to carry a tune, being forced to work when not feeling good/with a fever - in fear of losing the job to someone who shows up every day, being forced to eat the final bits of food on both our plates - not wanting to waste food, etc. It’s an endless list of ways we kano guys prove our love for our asawa each and every day!
Seriously, I rely heavily on my wife to teach me custom, culture and the way to live. The last thing I want is an innocent misunderstanding turning into insult. Also, it seems that “tongues wag” quite a bit whenever something unexpected or undesired happens. Best to help keep barangay conversations focused on things, not people!
As to the Peace Corps volunteers - the townsfolk never really understood why they were there. The volunteer work certainly didn’t center on hygiene and grooming! From the stories I hear, there were a variety of tasks they attempted from helping improve irrigation and farming techniques (which failed miserably when trying to implement American methods to non-responsive Filipino soil conditions, not to mention their impairment of an irrigation system that used to work just fine!), provide some health care initiatives (which the local doctors had to undo), and other well-meaning endeavors that just didn’t fit in. Personally, I (as do many residents) think their whole purpose being there was to promote birth control!
Angie some great comments LOL, especially about the doting Filipina wife, yes I can vouch for that, anyway, foreigner husbands are never allowed to smell, because their Filipino wife is standing behind them supervising events in the shower room and at the basin, so I dont think many of us will get away with any lapses in personal hygiene, haha, mine checks me over before I go downtown, checks my shirt, my trousers, are they clean and pressed, do I look ok ? who are we meeting ? checks my hair, stop Laughing you lot….yes she brushes it too, if she doesnt think its right.
Who am I to complain ? she would even tell me which after shave lotion to put on, she might say, wear your Lacoste today, or maybe, put on Ralph Lauren, is this doting or what ? and as for singing, I had to learn videoke fast, yes the pinay wife can be very strict and be very disciplinarian when it comes to the husband, but hey…we kind of like it dont we ?
Hi,
I like to think I dress quite well and have clean clothes all the time especially when I’m in the philippines, but I’ll tell you what I find strange.
Whenever I use the restrooms in the shopping centers I see the same thing every time..about 15 filipino men wearing black shoes, black trousers, white shirt and they are all standing at the sink looking in the mirror and combing their hair.
They are still at it when I leave the restroom, of course there is nothing wrong with this but I did wonder last time if they thought I was strange for not combing my hair at every opportunity.
Phil
Well, I have to say I met a German fellow, married to a Filipina, in a hardware store one day, and his wife had failed him in the smell department. Nice guy, I enjoyed talking to him, but, whew! I wanted to stand back at least 4 feet! There seems to be some ideas about deoderant, saving water or about ‘natural smells’ in Europe that I don’t understand.
When attending church services shorts and/or flip flops is not recommended however steaming hot the temperature is. Sunday’s best still works.
Most schools prescribe uniforms for students and teachers except during summer term. I guess boys’ hair cut is very well defined in grade school and HS. Skin head is a huge offense in some schools specially sectarian !
Hello everyone, most of you seem to have first class dress sense, its good to hear, to take this a stage further, I can now say that lots of foreigners that I take note of when I am out and about, seem to look like there on a weekend to Acapulco, thats not suprising since they are in the holiday mood, but why is it their shorts are ripped, or dirty, their flip flops are grubby, and their t shirts, such as one I saw recently ” GET IT HERE ” and an arrow pointing down to their gentalia, with this kind of dress sense, its not suprising that local people seem to think foreigners have bad dress sense, and poor hygiene.
Some I have seen have extremely long hair, most of it is ungroomed, the pony tail types always make me laugh, and these ones are generally sporting lots of facial hair, I asked my wife recently and others who were listening do Filipinas like facial hair, the majority seemt to give a major thumbs down to this.
I must admit, shaving in the morning is a drag, we all know that, its something we all do instinctively, but why is it that some of our fellow foreigners cannot be bothered to do this, just because they are out in the Phils, some of our freindly foreigners but not all I must add, go around looking like a bunch of bums or hippys, and their clothes seem to match the hippy look.
Thankfully as I have said, this does not apply to all foreigners, there are some well dressed ones as well, so let us not stereo-type foreigners, I have also seen foreigners going about their business in ties and white shirts, but i think those guys were from the Church of Jesus Christ and latter day saints..!
Probably not, the LDS no longer send westerners to Mindanao because of security issues… scared, I guess. Maybe the ones in ties are selling Electrolux…
Or they might be here on a business trip.
I met an internet boyfriend in Bohol a few years back. He had shoulder length, greasy dark hair, he was wearing an old, black Led Zeppilin T-shirt with a creepy picture on it. He was thin, had yellowish skin and walked with a cane and claimed to have a gunshot injury in the bad leg. He said he was living on disability. He said when he arrived, the girl didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but it looked like the family would approve their marriage. I am sure they had high hopes, but he looked like the dregs to me.
I really appreciate that the men on this blog seem to have respect for the culture and try to be sensitive and look good. As an American woman, living here long term, I have been so embarassed by some men I have seen that I would love to look Asian just so no one would connect them to me. I am serious. One big guy was wandering about in a pair of overalls and no shirt, his hairy arms and back there for all to see, with his greasy longish hair peeking out from under his CAT baseball cap. Ugh. Another tall, gray-haired guy, Australian, from his loud demanding voice, was wandering around the booths at the CDO fiesta one year in short-shorts, chenillas and no shirt, showing off his hairy chest and skinny legs- a young girl on his arm and her family walking an embarassed distance behind. Ugh again.
Frankly, it has been good for me to be part of this blog and ‘get to know’ some decent foreign men married to Filipinas. I have had some pretty bad impressions over the years. One summer, my daughter (17 at the time, and very pretty) worked at the front desk of a local hotel. An American man was staying there with his Filipina internet friend. One day the girl had gone off with her family and he called down to the front desk saying that she wouldn’t be back until 4pm, and would like my daughter to come up to his room for a visit! Indignant is too small a word to describe her feelings!
Anyway, guys, please remember that you represent more than yourselves, whether you like it or not. This is why it makes me very happy to read your comments about how much you love and appreciate your wives, and how you want to be sensitive to the culture where you are now living. Makes me proud to be associated with the likes of you, and it makes me want to help in any way I can!
Hi AmericanLola - Next time I come to CdO I’ll bring the shotgun! I want to go after that guy who said some rather unpleasant things to your daughter!
Hello All,
It’s true that growing up in the Philippines, we kids had this notion that foreigners don’t bathe. Sorry, guys!
I don’t know why this was but perhaps because the few that we encountered at that time didn’t leave us with a good impression as far as hygiene was concerned. 
However, my sister, while in elementary school, had a female Peace Corp volunteer who, in my opinion, dressed immaculately – sort of the business casual that we call nowadays.
My husband has accepted our SOP when going out to dinner or a party. After his shower, he asks me “Honey, are you ready to dress your Ken doll?” Of course, I’m just too happy to oblige!
Hi All!
When it comes to dressing my husband, it’s quite a challenge. He has these western shirts, 3 or 4 of them in the same color and same design; blue jeans- 3 or 4 in one design and he doesn’t like me to iron them. If my mother sees him, she surely will tell me that my husband “gukdunon ug plantsa” (the flatiron will run after him)! I also looked for a system, hanging and folding included, where he won’t repeat the same color in a week’s time!
Hi Jul,
I’m sure we all drive our husbands crazy!
I have a “system” of folding and putting clothes in his armoire - FIFO (first in-first out) ‘coz he has a tendency to pull out whatever’s on top of the pile, all the time! I told him the way he dresses is a reflection on me. I buy him nice clothes so I don’t want him walking around in his ratty clothes! What can I do? “Gukdunon gyud ug plantsa ug di mabantayan!” (If I don’t watch him, the flatiron would surely run after him!) 
Hi American Lola, well said ! I think all of the foreigners here do appreciate their Filipino wives very much, I know many of my UK freinds who treat their Filipino wives as their Queen, so its natural they would want to look good for them in public, and they listen to the too, they always say, your best adviser in the Philippines is your wife, as for clothes selection, I would have to back up wht Jul and Tina says, because I know I cannot get through the door before I am inspected and checked out.
And if my wife does not like what I am wearing, she will quickly shooo me back to the bedroom to change, she would say, nooooo not that one…put such and such on, ahhhhhhhh thats better, now..put on your Ralph Lauren, brush your hair again, (is it my Mum or what ?)
Its true I am afraid, she actually does and says all of the above, but she does say “Why do you always have to wear blue” put on your yellow shirt, or put on your maroon shirt” I dont know….blue seems neutral.
[...] Pete of Live in the Philippines liked our sense of style [...]
Hi Pete,
I dont wear shorts when im there, apart from at the beach. I feel that the sight of my English, pasty white legs, could cause some unrest there, in the Phil’s….hehehe.
Seriously though, we have to keep up appearances i feel, dont you?
A nice pair of slacks, and shoes (with socks), and a nice shirt, sleeves rolled up, and the top button undone is the perfect way to dress, i think. Also, wear a nice cologne too, it works wonders on those sweaty days. The one’s that I have found work best for me are, Paco Raban, ” I think thats how you spell it”, and cacharelle, but we all have our favourites.
AmericanLola,
“Probably not, the LDS no longer send westerners to Mindanao because of security issues… scared, I guess. Maybe the ones in ties are selling Electrolux…”
You win all the brownie points for your sense of humor. I love it! But I think these folks in white shirt, blue pants and tie are from IBM! Hahaha. Anyone from IBM here? That’s a benign joke, okay?
Thanks for appreciating the joke! Well, I am sure the guys in ties are not from Apple, so maybe they are IBM…
Hi American Lola,
Hey. what’s wrong with Led Zep? I love that band.
It’s funny how the some “unspoken truths” that Filipinos say amongst themselves is now seeping out in this blog. I find it kind of funny and interesting and we’re all better for it.
Re #23. Of course, not Apple! Why, Steve Jobs would fit in nicely with the category of the “foreigner” that is being described here. Well, I don’t mean the hygiene part but the dress code, yes. He wears jeans and sweatshirts! Probably he needs a Filipino wife if he ever becomes single again. There you go.
Tina- Hayyy, salamat for your FIFO! Now I will use this term to remind my husband. If i could only embroider his undies each with the days of the week! Sorry gentlemen, ladies’ territory!!!:roll:
Ian- Dear hubby wore shorts when he visits and he got lots of kagid (AmericanLola, help translate !) on his legs. Insects loved feasting on his white skin.
Macky- were you referring to Led Zippelen, the Stairway to Heaven singer ? Those boys near our boarding house loved to yell that song.
Kagid… Hmmm, I thought that was mange, but maybe it is insect bites!
Hi all
Once again, Pete has found a subject to which we can all relate.
Perhaps it is because I am ex Army, I dont know, but I am usually well dressed, and perhaps I am lucky in that, my wife was already here, in the UK when we first met. Either way, she doesnt dress me, rather, she will stand around, until I,m dressed, before getting dressed herself…lol.
However, when it comes to our Son, ” who is 12 yrs”, she takes the lead, telling him what to wear, and to comb his hair a certain way. Perhaps she is doing it, just because she doesnt do it with me ?
Ironing, is something else. If it is good enough to be washed, then it should be ironed, that is how my wife looks at it, so, I have creases in my socks, undrewear, jeans, etc she even irons our trainers, yes, you heard me right, trainers, she will poke the pointy bit of the iron into the trainers, and then go around, hahaha, I just cannot stop her….
She is great !!!
By the way, the first thing I do, when I get there, is go for a haircut and shave, ” number 1, all over”, I have a lot of respect for the Filipino barbers, and go to them at least, once a week.
Hi Jul,
I was never bothered by the insects, when there, but I have experienced them, in other countries…OUCH….it must have been HELL for your husband !
Hi Jul,
haha. yep, that’s them. i think i may have a slightly differing musical taste here. though”stairway” is too beaten down & “masa” for me. i hope those boys learn to sing someday (rather than yell) for your sanity’s sake.
take care.
Hahaha this reminds me of my first trip to the philippines. Trying to be polite and watching my manners and the way I dressed and groomed myself. I wore jeans, hiking boots and a clean white t-shirt almost everywhere, I only wore shorts one time and that was for swimming. I bought a pair of slacks and a white dress shirt for other occassians.
The thing that makes me smile when remembering my first trip is that people seemed to want to follow me around and take turns sitting beside me. I fisrt thought this was just because of curiousity but later found out it was mostly because of the way I smelled ( hahaha) Dont get me wrong, I didnt smell bad and that was the whole point. It would seem that everyone was amazed that I smelled so good (hahaha) I bathed a couple times a day and when doing so I used a scented soap i brought with me as well as deoderant, body spray and Stetson cologne. Evidently everyone wasnt used to this or wasnt expecting this. After talking with my wife she told me that they all liked the smell of the perfume (cologne) I was wearing (hahaha) as well as the smell it left behind after I had gone. They all liked it so much that upon our return to the states we had to mail them a few bottles of Stetson, both for the men and women of the family.
Regarding the particular comment about scruffiness of the US Peace Corps volunteers .I think that’s fairly exaggerated .I met many US PCV’S many yrs ago , in fact had my first ever bf as one of them ,had relatuionship running few odd yrs (though we split up ,diff story ) ,they are professionals,degree holders volunteering some of yrs to work in the Philippines.Some come to teach ,go on coastal resource management ,environemntal -marine conservation ,deaf-mute education etc i knew some of them are even high flyers. When they go out on jobs they dress good ,formal nice looking ,depends with occasions .But i’m sure hanging around the house or in their own garden , or just in tucked away back packers beach resorts ,it’s more laid back ,can wear anything . I had never expected x bf to dress up all the time for that . I have never seen any peace corp v in extreme description of unkempt and scruffiness ,perhaps there’s one somewhere ,kind of alienated still acclimatizing longer or somesome assigned to work in the sticks .